Destines: The Ark of Power

by David Barco

For 15-year-old Harrison Grady, the thought of knowing what happened to his father dominates his every thought. His father and his elite task force, The Silver Falcons, vanished one night thirteen years ago while on a top-secret mission. Under decree of the Destine Elder, they may never be spoken of - even by Harrison’s family. As a result, an eerie silence pervades the Destine nation, and no one dares break it.

The absence of his father and the silence about his disappearance morphs into anger, depression, and anxiety in Harrison’s life. This manifests distrust with the Destine nation and their leaders because Harrison knows that they must be hiding something. Questions hover in the back of his mind, yelling at him, though no words come out: Is he dead? Is he just missing? ...what are they hiding?

Now with the chance to follow in his father’s elusive footsteps, Harrison is accepted into the Destine Academy where he will study and train to be an elite Destine warrior. Without any warning, the mysterious Destine Elder has become the Headmaster of the Academy. With his newfound skills and band of friends, Harrison devises a plan to investigate the disappearance of his father… but the only way to do so is to make those who have vowed silence talk.

But… just as Harrison begins his mission, unexpected truths take him on a journey where everything he’s ever known changes right before his eyes.

Genres: Action, Fantasy

ebook

Published August 2, 2019

About the author

David Barco was born and raised in Fayetteville, NC. He was a high school teacher and varsity basketball coach for four years before taking a student director position in Van Wert, Ohio. He was voted Best Teacher and Best School Coach in The Fayetteville Observer Reader's Choice Awards in 2016. He is married to the love of his life, Danielle and you can catch him dancing around the house with his five-year-old daughter. DESTINES: THE ARK OF POWER is his debut novel.

Reviews

[Kacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Destines was a fantastic read. I was hooked from the first chapter and was constantly wondering what would happen next, I’m already wondering what will happen in the sequel. The story flowed at a good pace and was an easy read. I loved the story of Harrison’s journey for the truth of what happened to his father and how the it portrayed what I felt like was blind faith to their leader. His determination to keep going despite opposition really shows how far some people will go for truth and I really loved how all of his friends were willing to stand by him through it all. The world and its’ history created in the book is amazing. I really enjoyed reading about how the different nations were created. This book could be enjoyed by people of any age and I highly recommend giving it a read. It is definitely going on my favorites shelf.

[Es · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Destines definitely has a very compelling storyline and I enjoy how fast paced it is. I really like the world the book’s setting is in, and my only problem with the book is that it could have used an editor. If in later editions someone could fix the typos, punctuation errors, and grammar errors it could be even better. That and the lack of contractions. People speak with contractions so I find it odd how everyone spoke very proper. That might be a world choice though. Either way, really enjoyed this book.

[Austin Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book could have been a singular week read..having distractions taking me away from it I found myself not truly being able to enjoy the storyline. Overall this book had action, adventure, and leaves you ready for the following book. Excited to start up on the next.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book but it definitely reads YA. This book reminded me of Harry Potter mixed with Dragon Ball Z. There was something missing for me. I do like the diversity of characters. I will read the 2nd book in the series because I would like to see where the story goes.